King Cake is a Mardi Gras tradition that has made its way to much of the Upper Gulf Coast. Bake your own to celebrate Mardi Gras!
Jump to RecipeBefore moving to Texas, I had never even heard of King Cake. Justin said he had tried it before, but didn’t know what it was called. There’s a lot of Cajun/New Orleans influence in the Houston area, so many of the Mardi Gras traditions have migrated here.
One such tradition is the King Cake. From what we have been told, most of the New Orleans influence in Houston came after many were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. That was long before we were in the area, so I can’t personally say whether that’s true or not. But we certainly celebrate carnival season here, Fat Tuesday, the King Cake tradition, and all of the other Mardi Gras season festivities.
Celebrated across the Gulf Coast region from the Florida Panhandle to East Texas, King cake parties are documented back to the 18th century. The king cake of the Louisiana tradition comes in a number of styles. The most
simple, said to be the most traditional, is a ring of twisted cinnamon roll-style dough. It may be topped with icing or sugar, which may be colored to show the traditional Mardi Gras colors of green, yellow, and purple.Traditionally, a small plastic or porcelain baby is hidden in the king cake. Originally, the baby was placed in the cake to symbolize baby Jesus. Fava beans were also used to represent Jesus.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_cake
Today, the baby symbolizes good luck and prosperity towhomever finds it in his/her slice of cake. That person is also responsible for purchasing next year’s cake, or for throwing the next Mardi Gras party. In some traditions, the finder of the baby is designated “king” or “queen” for the evening.
Another tradition common to the Cajun background is the crawfish boil. Every Spring, when the crawfish are in season and at their largest size, a crawfish boil is an ideal get-together. It’s not just about the food, but it’s a whole event. Again, I hadn’t heard of this until we moved to Texas. But we’ve been to at least one every year since and have hosted our own as well. When it’s not crawfish season, we make an easy Shrimp Boil Foil Wrap to hold us over.

The King Cake was fun to make because it’s very different from any other cake I’ve made. I was also able to make two cakes from the dough, so I made one with nuts and one without. I don’t care for nuts, especially in desserts, which is why I don’t often eat traditional King Cake.
But, with everything, that’s the beauty of making your own King Cake at home. You can control exactly what goes into a recipe. King Cake can be made with multiple different types of filling. So you can find an option to suit your tastes. And you can choose if you want to include a tiny plastic baby or not.

King Cake Step by Step
Ingredients
Dough
- 16 oz sour cream
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup water (warm)
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 6 3/4 cup bread flour
Filling
- 16 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 cup pecans (finely chopped)
Glaze
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp butter (melted)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3-4 tbsp milk
Other
- 3-4 tbsp purple sugar sprinkles
- 3-4 tbsp green sugar sprinkles
- 3-4 tbsp yellow sugar sprinkles
Preparation
Combine the sour cream, butter, salt, and 1/3 cup of sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring until the butter melts. There should be no more lumps of sour cream.

Remove from the heat and allow it to cool to a temperature of about 100F-110F.

Meanwhile, in a glass measuring cup, stir together the yeast, water, and 1 tbsp of sugar. Let it stand for 5 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sour cream mixture, yeast mixture, 2 eggs, and 2 cups of bread flour. Use the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed. I used speed 4 until it was smooth, about one minute.

Gradually stir in 4 more cups of the bread flour until it forms into a dough.

Dust a work surface with 1/4 cup of the bread flour and turn the dough out on the lightly floured surface. Knead while adding up to another 1/2 cup of bread flour as needed until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough should be tacky but still release easily from the work surface.


Place the dough in a well-greased large bowl and turn to cover with the grease on the sides of the bowl.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. This takes about 45-60 minutes, depending on the room temperature.
Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese filling by using the stand mixer to beat the cream cheese, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until it’s smooth. I used the whisk attachment for this at low speed.

Beat in the egg.

Once the dough has risen, gently punch it down and divide the dough in half. Keep one piece covered while working with the other. On a lightly floured work surface, roll one piece of the dough out to a rectangle about 22×12 inches.

Spread half of the filling out over the dough. I found an angled spatula worked really well for this part. Leave about 1/4″ around the edges.

Sprinkle the filling with half of the chopped pecans.

Starting with the long edge, gently roll the cake and press the seam to seal. This is similar to how you roll homemade cinnamon rolls.

Place the cake with the seam side down and carefully roll into a circle. Press the edges together to seal. It may help to moisten the dough with a small amount of water to get it to stick together.

Repeat with the second piece of cake dough and remaining filling and pecans. Cover the cakes and let them rise until they double in size. This should take another 45-60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Uncover the dough rings and bake them for about 25-30 minutes until they are a deep golden brown.

Let the cake rest on the pan for about 10-15 minutes, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. It takes about 1 1/2 hours for the cakes to cool all the way through.

Meanwhile, bake the next cake if they didn’t both fit in the oven together (mine didn’t).
Once the cakes have cooled, prepare the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar, melted butter, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl.

Stir in 3 tbsp of milk, adding more as needed until the glaze is thin and opaque.

Place a baking sheet under the wire rack to catch the dripping and pour the glaze over the cake. You can either cover the cake completely or pour it into small chunks, depending on what you want the final cake to look like.

Sprinkle the top of the cake with alternating colored sugar. If you are hiding a small baby trinket in the cake, do that before serving by pressing it in from the bottom of the cake. Serve a slice of King Cake to your guests and Let the Good Times Roll!

King Cake Leftovers
Storage: Due to the dairy filling, King Cake leftovers are best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay soft and moist for 2-3 days at most.

Recipe
Originally Published On: March 4, 2019
Last Updated On: June 30, 2023

King Cake with Cream Cheese and Pecan Filling
Ingredients
- 16 oz sour cream
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup water (warm)
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 6 3/4 cup bread flour
- 16 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 cup pecans (finely chopped)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp butter (melted)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3-4 tbsp milk
- 3-4 tbsp purple sugar sprinkles
- 3-4 tbsp green sugar sprinkles
- 3-4 tbsp yellow sugar sprinkles
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Combine the sour cream, butter, salt, and 1/3 cup of sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat
- Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring until the butter melts and sour cream is no longer lumpy
- Remove from the heat and allow it to cool to a temperature of about 100F-110F
- Meanwhile, in a glass measuring cup, stir together the yeast, water, and 1 tbsp of sugar
- Let it stand for 5 minutes
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sour cream mixture, yeast mixture, 2 eggs, and 2 cups of bread flour
- Use the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed (I used speed 4) until it’s smooth, about one minute
- Gradually stir in 4 more cups of the bread flour until it forms into a dough
- Dust a work surface with 1/4 cup of the bread flour and turn the dough out
- Knead while adding up to another 1/2 cup of bread flour as needed until the dough is smooth and elastic (the dough should be tacky but still release easily from the work surface)
- Place the dough in a well-greased bowl and turn to cover with the grease
- Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size (about 45-60 minutes, depending on the air temperature)
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling by using the stand mixer with the whisk attachment to beat the cream cheese, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until it’s smooth
- Beat in the egg
- Once the dough has risen, gently punch it down and divide the dough in half, keeping one piece covered while working with the other
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll one piece of the dough out to a rectangle about 22×12 inches
- Spread half of the filling out over the dough leaving about 1/4″ around the edges
- Sprinkle the filling with half of the chopped pecans
- Starting with the long side, gently roll the cake and press the seam to seal
- Place the cake with the seam side down and carefully roll into a circle
- Press the edges together to seal. It may help to moisten the dough with a small amount of water to get it to stick together
- Repeat with the second piece of cake dough and remaining filling and pecans
- Cover the cakes and let them rise until they double in size (another 45-60 minutes)
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Uncover the dough rings and bake them for about 25-30 minutes until they are a deep golden brown
- Let the cake rest on the pan for about 10-15 minutes, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling completely (about 1 1/2 hours)
- Meanwhile, bake the second cake if they didn’t both fit in the oven together
- Once the cakes have cooled, prepare the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar, melted butter, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl until crumbly
- Stir in 3 tbsp of milk, adding more as needed until the glaze is thin and opaque
- Place a pan under the wire rack to catch the dripping and pour the glaze over the cake
- You can either cover the cake completely or pour it in small chunks, depending on what you want the final cake to look like
- Sprinkle the cake with alternating colored sugar
- If you are hiding a trinket in the cake, do that before serving by pressing it in from the bottom of the cake
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
More Cajun & Mardi Gras Recipes
- Copycat Cajun Chicken Pasta from Chili’s
- Crawfish Boil Recipe
- Fried Vegan Beignets Recipe
- Creole Pork with Cheesy Polenta
- Shrimp Boil Foil Wrap
- King Cake with Cream Cheese and Pecan Filling
- Shrimp and Okra Bowl
More Cake Recipes
- Easy Pull-Apart Caramel Coffee Cake Recipe
- Ice Cream Sandwich Cake Recipe: Perfect Summer Dessert
- Dutch Oven Apple Cobbler Dump Cake Recipe for Camping
- Chocolate Strawberry Cake
- Cobweb Cake
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
- King Cake with Cream Cheese and Pecan Filling
- Elegant and Creamy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Nearly-Headless Nick’s Deathday Cake
- Better-Than-Sex Cake or Chocolate Caramel Poke Cake
- Harry Potter’s Birthday Cake
- Peach and Blueberry Cake
- Carrot Cake with Pineapple Filling
- Banana Cake with Glaze
- Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
- Perfect Fall Pumpkin Roll
Beautiful colorful looking cake that has a great tradition. Good for parties or just to eat, I’ve never made one from scratch, but now I’m going to try too.!
I know, the colors are so fun! That’s my favorite part of the cake.
Omg ! It looks beautiful and tasty <3 Regards:*
Thank you! The colors make it so fun!
Mmmm yes please! I didn’t really know the history with King Cake, but I am totally down with eating it. Thanks for sharing!
I learned the history quickly when we moved to Houston and it’s such a big deal here!
I want to make one solely because I want to put that little baby in the cake and make people find it! Ha! I will totally use your recipe to make that happen too! 🙂
The first time I heard someone talk about this cake and “finding the baby” I was so confused!
I may be the only person who doesn’t like king cake. My husband thinks I’m crazy
I only like it when I make it because I make one without nuts in it since I don’t like them.
This looks like a delicious cake – but then, I love most cakes lol! I’ve not heard of king cake though – will have to give it a try!
I hadn’t heard of it until moving to Houston, either. But, like you, I love most cakes, so it was a winner for me!
I’m pretty new to king cakes too. It’s certainly one of the most unique cakes out there! This looks delicious.
I had no clue what I was getting into the first time we had one! I had no expectations, so I was very surprised.
Oh my! I’d never heard of King Cake until now. I thought it was an enormous fluffy donut! Definitely bookmarking this for a potluck since I’m living alone and I’d probably end up eating the whole thing by myself. Haha! Thanks for sharing!
Hah, it does look like a doughnut, doesn’t it?! Definitely save for a potluck or when you have people over, after we made it we gave some away to family and friends since it made so much!
It sounds delicious. I’ve heard of it but never tried it. Just what my sweet thoot would love for lunch right now…Yummy!
King Cake has a unique flavor, that’s for sure. I don’t care for store-bought because I don’t like the nuts in it. I prefer to make it myself so I can make one without.
Someone recently brought us king cake and I had nevr had it before. This one sounds so much better though!
We hadn’t heard of it until we moved to Houston, either. It’s such a yummy cake!
Hi Stephanie! I had never heard of this cake for Mardi Gras so I was super curious! Reading the recipe I must say it looks very similar (except the decoration) to a dessert we have in Argentina for the Epiphany (The three wise men, which we actually call “Los tres Reyes Magos” meaning The three wizard “Kings”!) this cake has a similar dough and it is called “Rosca de Reyes” meaning something like “Kings’ bagel (crown)”!! I wonder if it has some similar connotation to this cake of yours?? Maybe not and it is just a coincidence!
What I’m sure of is that I’ll be making this cake for Mardi Gras as it looks simply delicious!
Interesting, that does sound very similar! I’ll have to look up both and see if maybe the King Cake that I know was brought over and derived from the one you mention. It’s totally possible that it was and has just changed over the years here.
This looks so amazing! have actually never had King Cake, but I am going to give this recipe a try!!!
King Cake is a staple here around this time of the year. I actually just saw it for the first time this year when I was at the grocery store last week. It’s much easier to buy, but more fun to make 🙂
This is such a fun, festive cake! I love anything with cinnamon. I’ve only ever had the store bought version but it looks like a great recipe to try at home.
My son just told me this morning “cinnamon makes everything taste better” so he is right there with you! I’ve had both storebought and homemade. Both are delicious!
What kind of pan did you use to bake this?
Hi Carlee, I cooked this straight on my baking stone. You can use any baking sheet that fits the cake. Since you are making it round when you roll the dough, it doesn’t have to be in any special type of pan.
Can you braid this reciepe?
I’ve never tried that so I’m not sure how it would work. I’d love to hear if you do, though, how it comes out!
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends, they will like it!